Franco: “Image parliament stained by two convicted MPs”

WILLEMSTAD – During a press conference the President of Parliament Marcolino Franco reflected back on the parliamentary year which was closed today in preparation for the official opening tomorrow.

“This is a stain on the image of our parliament.” This is how Franco defined the presence of two convicted Members of Parliament. There are also two other MPs who have been named as suspects in two criminal cases.

Tomorrow is the second Tuesday of September, which is officially the first date of a new parliamentary year. But this is also the last official opening of the current parliament. On September 30 there will be elections for a new parliament. Franco used the press conference to reflect back on his four-year term as President of Parliament.

The biggest low point was the murder of the political leader Helmin in 2013. Franco also points to the fact that at present there are still four MPS who have to walk around with security ordered by the Curaçao Intelligence Service (VDC).

The two convicted MPs are Gerrit Schotte, leader of the opposition party MFK and his colleague Amerigo Thode. They did appeal their cases and that is still pending.

Another MFK MP, Jacintha Constancia is a suspect in a case involving surgical masks. These masks were ordered during her term as Minister of Public Health. The masks were paid for but never delivered.

MP for the ruling party Pueblo Soberano Elmer Wilsoe is also a suspect in a criminal case. Recently a document was leaked to the media which named Wilsoe as one of the suspects in the investigation into the intellectual authors of the assassination of Helmin Wiels.